


Subsist upon the waiting

by zinjadu



Series: Wed to Blight [39]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alienages (Dragon Age), Angst, City Elves, F/M, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Watching Someone Sleep, just city elf things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-02 13:49:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20276917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinjadu/pseuds/zinjadu
Summary: Alistair watches over Caitwyn while she sleeps.  She did not sleep easily or well, and the night was a cold one.  But it was all he could do in the aftermath of the purge of the Alienage.  Of her home.Note: this series is fully drafted!  Weekly updates until we hit the end!  Thank you everyone for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting.





	Subsist upon the waiting

Alistair stared into the fire, Caitwyn’s body a limp weight in his arms. 

Denerim had not been a good time. Pins and needles pricked his leg, and he held his breath as he shifted Cait. A frown creased her brow, but she didn’t wake. Once, she’d woken up when he’d tripped over some rocks as he made his way back to camp from a handy tree. Now, a weary worry dragged her under and held her fast. 

And all he could do was be here.

He adjusted the blanket around his shoulders as best he could and held her close. Hopefully she’d stay warm enough through the night. A glance up through the bare, overhanging branches revealed a cloudy sky. No stars or moonlight, just a glowering menace of more bad weather.

A clear sky would’ve made for a colder night, though.

“Tea?” Leliana offered him a mug, but he shook his head. Lips pursed, she sat next to him and sipped the warm brew delicately. “How is she?”

“Sleeping, which is probably best right now.” He spoke as quietly as he could. Cait turned in her sleep. He froze, but she settled firmly against his chest and stilled once more. “I can’t imagine.”

“Neither can I.” The dancing flames cast flickering shadows over Leliana’s face. 

“I, uh, I’m sorry about your… mentor.” A smile that didn’t reach her eyes curved her lips.

“You are kind to say so, Alistair, but she was not a good woman.” She sipped her tea. “I am sorry your sister was not, not what you wished.”

“Well, my own fault for building it up.”

She hummed, which could have meant any number of things. He knew better than to ask. Not like she’d give him a straight answer. At least not about herself.

“Leliana, how often do Alienages get, um, purged?” It was a graceless question, one he never would have dared ask Cait or even Zevran. Zevran who had scaled the wall and talked Cait back down because he couldn’t climb half so well, and he didn’t even understand what was going on. She’d just taken off! Just that one word: _ purge _ , and she’d vanished.

A sigh escaped Leliana, and she shook her head. “Once, I would have said not terribly often, but I do not believe I paid enough attention to know. Not truly.”

In the distance an owl hooted, and the silence crept in behind it. The cold nipped at his nose and cheeks, and he checked to make sure Cait’s face wasn’t too exposed to the winter air. Their camp was nestled in a little ravine in the broken ground to the north of the city, and out of the wind. If it hadn’t been for a concerted group effort to make her  _ stop _ , Cait might have tried to keep going until she fell over. As it was, she’d barely touched her supper and curled up next to him without saying a word. 

Gently, he brushed a short curl of hair back from her forehead.

The fire burned itself low, the logs cracking and shifting as the night wore on. Leliana eventually sought her own tent, and Alistair huddled over Cait. His eyes were heavy and scratchy, but he wanted to stay awake, just in case. In case of what, he didn’t know. But Cait trusted him enough to sleep while he held her, and at least he could keep watch over her.

The night was long and cold, but he held the woman he loved. It was all he could do.


End file.
